Shropshire town joins major anti-theft campaign
A Shropshire town has become the first in the country to take part in a major police anti-theft drive that will be studied by academics.
Officers handed out packs to 1,400 households in Cleobury Mortimer as it officially became a West Mercia Police 'We Don't Buy Crime' town, aiming to make the whole area a no-go area for thieves.
The packs contain SmartWater, a traceable liquid developed in Telford that can link valuables back to a specific property – and criminals back to a crime scene – along with a range of tips and strategies for preventing break-ins and thefts.
Signs have been put up around town announcing the scheme is in place, and the initiative is being run in partnership with the University of Warwick as part of a study to see what lessons can be learned.
Detective Chief Inspector Tom Harding said: "The old saying goes that 'prevention is better than the cure' and this is very true for burglary. Until you have been burgled you can't appreciate the impact of someone coming into your property and going through your personal belongings.
"We owe it to the community we serve to constantly strive to improve and look to work in smarter ways as a police force. Having a company with the know how and track record of SmartWater on our doorstep, it made perfect sense to look at how we could work with them to benefit our communities."
The Metropolitan Police in London is already giving out SmartWater packs to 440,000 homes, but Cleobury Mortimer is the first whole "SmartWater" town.
The project was instigated by Cleobury Crime Reduction Group and is being funded by Cleobury Mortimer Parish Council, South Shropshire Housing Group and the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Bill Longmore.
Mr Longmore said: "One of my main aims is to enable communities to take the lead in preventing crime for their own benefit, and this scheme is a perfect example of this."
